Cameroon court jails ex-finance minister for 25 years for corruption

ACCRA, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Cameroon's former finance and
economy minister Polycarpe Abah Abah was sentenced to 25 years
in prison by a special criminal court for embezzling 6 billion
CFA francs ($11 million) to buy a string of houses and cars.

The court will seize 30 properties, eight vehicles and three
tractors as well as bank accounts worth 26 million CFA francs
from Abah Abah, who was convicted with three others including
Pascal Manga, who was sentenced in absentia, said witnesses.

Abah Abah served as minister from 2004 to 2008 and before
that headed the finance ministry's tax department. He told
journalists at the court late on Tuesday that the ruling was a
"joke" and said he would appeal.

Abah Abah was arrested in 2008 under Operation Sparrowhawk,
a drive launched by President Paul Biya's government in 2006 to
fight corruption. Cameroon ranks 136th out of 175 countries in
Transparency International's 2014 corruption perceptions index.

The former general manager of the Credit Foncier du
Cameroun, Joseph Edou, and his deputy Raphael Meke were each
sentenced to 15 years in prison, while three others were
acquitted.